Review: Stardom 5★STAR Grand Prix 2017 – Day 2 – 2017.8.20

Viper & AZM vs. Mari Apache & Natsuko Tora vs ShiKid (Shiki Shibusawa & Starlight Kid) vs. Xia Brookside & Ruaka
A very short opener but it was fun for what it was. Viper dominated pretty much the entire match except for when Mari Apache was in the ring. I would like to see these two have a singles match at some point. Viper pinned Natsuko Tora for the win. 2/5

Hiromi Mimura vs. Kris Wolf
Hiromi has improved a lot over the last few months and it was very evident in this solid, fast-paced match with Kris Wolf. They worked really well together and while there were no big spots or real surprises the match flowed very nicely and the last couple of minutes was fun with lots of near falls. Horomi Mimura pinned Kris Wolf for the win. 3/5

Kay Lee Ray vs. Tam Nakano
I continue to be impressed by Tam Nakano. She has passion and energy in every movement that is a core part of joshi. It was another very solid match. Kay Lee Ray was great as always and everything looked polished and stiff. I particularly liked the finish with Kay Lee Ray countering an attempted kick into a Gory Bomb for the win. 3/5

HZK vs. Konami
This was very good but so short. HZK & Konami are two of the best in Stardom right now and this match deserved a lot more than the barely 5 minutes it got. Both wrestlers wasted little time though and the whole match was fought at a frantic pace with each getting in a lot of very stiff strikes. I really hope these two will get a longer one-on-one in the near future. HZK pinned Konami after Bomb’s Away. 3.5/5

Jungle Kyona vs. Mandy Leon
Mandy Leon beat Io Shirai in a shock win on the first day of the 5★STAR Grand Prix but lost here to Jungle Kyona in a solid match. Mandy seems to have very good technique but her western-style pace made this feel a little stilted a couple of times. Jungle Kyona proves she can work well with a different type of opponent and rolled up Mandy Leon for the win. 3/5

Mayu Iwatani vs. Hana Kimura
Hana Kimura has come a long way in the last 9 months. She is proving during this tournament that she is not far off belonging at the top of the card. Mayu is already there and is looking every bit a champion. This match was great, from the character work at the beginning with both having fun doing the “poses” to a very well-paced and hard-hitting match. Kimura’s missile dropkick was one of the highlights. Mayu Iwatani pinned Hana Kimura after a dragon suplex after Oedo Tai failed with their interference. 3.75/5

Kagetsu vs. Yoko Bito
The best match of the tournament so far! Incredibly brutal and wonderfully executed. Both delivered plenty of stiff kicks. Kagetsu missed a big springboard to the outside. Once back in they traded power moves and near falls for nearly five minutes and everything looked so good. At the end Kagetsu tried for the Oedo Coaster but Bito met her on the top rope and delivered a huge superplex before the B-Driver for the win. Extremely good match. 4.25/5

Toni Storm vs. Io Shirai
Matches like this show why Toni Storm is so highly rated. It was a great mix of story telling and spectacle. Toni dominated early focusing on the neck of Io. It actually took Io several minutes to get any offence in. The pace quickened midway through the match as things became more even. Io delivered a great frankensteiner from the top rope and Toni hit a series of brutal moves to the neck. There was a great finish with Toni Storm hitting a piledriver exactly on the bell and being unable to pin resulting in a time-limit draw. A great main event. 4.25/5